Indymedia Antwerp being forced offline in lawsuit.

by greyblogger Mon May 05, 2008 21:10

Thanks for that. I was writing the following article when the gremlins struck. Better late than never I suppose:-

An ultra-rich businessman with right-wing political connections is attempting to destroy an Indymedia site by launching a massive lawsuit.

The basic facts:-

The businessman, Geert Vroman, was on a hunting safari which is reported to cost about ten thousand Euro. He proudly took part in a mainstream TV program, but is now suing Antwerp Indymedia because, he claims, his privacy is being interfered with!

This issue has arisen as a result of a television program called "Hunted Wild" on Telefacts Reportage (Flemish Radio and Television) which was broadcast in April. Yet the businessman is not suing the television station, he has chosen to go after the Antwerp Indymedia website and is seeking obscenely excessive damages because of an article a woman wrote about the program. Inge Boey, a housewife from Hemiksem, was disgusted with what she saw in the program so she launched a petition and included the email address of Mr Vroman's business. He and his business were already well-known and relatively easy to find.

Vroman is demanding 10,000 Euros per hour damages while Inge Boey's article remains on the site.

Antwerp Indymedia are refusing to remove the article and point out that if Mr Vroman was concerned with privacy he would not have taken part in a primetime television program.

The English language version of the Antwerp Indymedia Statement is at
http://antwerpen.indymedia.org/news/2008/05/15263.php

It is a very rough translation but is understandable

by Mike Hoare Tue May 06, 2008 02:55

So Basically, Indy Antwerp stalked the man by giving his particulars out. Reverse that, would you like some fascist group having your address and contact information?

You would be screaming like the Banshee if the roles were reversed.

by tomeile Tue May 06, 2008 11:34

The link provided says that indymedia antwerp doesn't mention the private data of the businessman only the address of his business which was already well known.

by tomeile Tue May 06, 2008 13:57

That is an excellent article on UK Indymedia linked to above. It seems a pity that indymedia Ireland doesn't have anybody to write such a report. .The indymedia collective in Antwerp – a city that has been described as the racist capital of Europe - has done invaluable work countering the racist and Islamophobic campaigns orchestrated by the right wing Vlaams movement in Belgium and the Vlaams Belang party which insists that people of non-Flemish ethnic backgrounds must assimilate Flemish culture.
The attempt to suppress indymedia Antwerp must be seen in the context of the recent rapid growth of Europe’s far-right, xenophobic parties ,linked through the Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty (ITS) movement which now has 20 meps in the European Parliament . With the success of the Northern League in Italy two weeks ago and the ousting of London’s left leaning mayor last week , Europe is clearly heading in a rightwing direction .
Silvio Berlusconi has announced that he plans to appoint a member of the far-Right to his cabinet , Roberto Calderoli, a senior member of the Northern League, who two years ago appeared on television wearing a T-shirt printed with one of the Danish cartoons featuring the Prophet Mohammed.
I hope the author of the UK indymedia report continues to investigate any links between this attempt to close Indymedia Antwerp and the politics of the Vlaams movement .

by predator Tue May 06, 2008 15:24

We still haven't heard what the verdict is. You'll find out tonight at the IMC UK thread. Which if you read you'll understand why Vroman's lawyers has gone for full publicity in claiming 10,000 an hour - coz it's not about IMC Antwerp it's about the family of mr Paulus and the politics of Flemish Belgium. IMC Antwerp is just a pawn. like most of them.